• 11 October 11, 2017

  • 1- Robots roam under Swedish forest: Since the 13th century, one area in Sweden has been in the mining business - the Boliden Garpenberg zinc mine. Knowing the mining industry is changing, they have adopted automation and robotics to reduce costs and increase output. The benefits are being seen now with the expectation that in the near future, mines will be able to operate 24 hours a day with the use of robots. What this means for workers in the mining industry is that they need to be retrained to work with this higher level automation or face being outsourced completely. (source https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mining-technology/robots-under-swedish-forest-breathe-life-into-ancient-mines-idUSKCN1C90YU )

  • Robots roam under Swedish forest
    Since the 13th century, a forested area in Sweden has been in the mining business: the Boliden zinc mine in Garpenberg. Boliden is at the forefront of a global transformation in which mining companies have to adapt automation and robotics to reduce costs and increase output. The benefits are being seen now with the expectation that in the near future mines will be able to operate 24 hours a day with the use of robots, though workers need to be retrained to work with this higher level automation or face being outsourced completely.

  • 2- Small businesses get a tax break: In an effort to encourage more small businesses to start and then to stay in Sweden, the government is rolling out a tax break that will take effect in 2018. This move is seen as a positive step since companies like Swedish startup sensation, Spotify, which employs over 3,000 people, have threatened to take their companies overseas where there are more business-friendly tax laws. (source https://www.reuters.com/article/sweden-tax/sweden-to-cut-small-business-taxes-to-promote-start-up-culture-idUSL8N1LM1T1 )

  • Small businesses get a tax break
    In an effort to encourage more small businesses to start and remain in Sweden, the government is rolling out a tax break that will take effect in 2018. This move is seen as a positive step, since companies like Swedish startup sensation Spotify, which employs over 3,000 people, have threatened to take their companies overseas where there are more business-friendly tax laws.

  • w3-Swedish scientist finds ways to make spinach safer: Scientist Dr. Noor Liyana Yusof from Lund University has found a way to help the youngest Swedes makes sure they eat their spinach and stay safe. Spinach, one of the most popular greens for healthy diets, isn’t so safe for infants and small children. That’s because the levels of nitrates found in the leafy greens are too high for small bodies to process. Thanks to the discovery of Dr. Noor Liyana Yusof, there’s a way to pre-treat spinach so that it remains safe for all to enjoy. (source https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2017/10/289815/making-spinach-safe-infants-malaysian-researchers-findings-going-viral )

  • Scientist make spinach safer
    Dr. Noor Liyana Yusof from Lund University has found a way to help the youngest Swedes make sure they eat their spinach — safely. Spinach, one of the most popular greens for healthy diets, isn’t so safe for infants and small children because the levels of nitrates found in the leafy greens are too high for small bodies to process. Dr. Yusof's simple method of "placing the leaves in a sugar solution and then vacuum-treating them forces the sugar molecules to get into the leaves, stimulating their metabolism, so that nitrates are reduced” up to 70 percent, so it remains safe for all to enjoy.

  • 4-Swedish death cleaning: Leave it to the ever-practical Swedes to have come up with a logical and tidy way to deal with death. Known as “dostadning”, the practice involves taking a realistic look at your personal inventory and possessions accumulated over the years and instead of waiting until you die to have your loved ones deal with it, the goal is to start giving away things you no longer love, now. Swedish author, Margaretta Magnusson, even wrote a book (https://www.amazon.com/Gentle-Art-Swedish-Death-Cleaning/dp/1501173243 ) about it to help you get started. (http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/home/interiors/the-new-decluttering-trend-is-called-swedish-death-cleaning-and-we-tried-it/news-story/de55f607f2bf8e487116c1cf33ef3d7e )

  • Not as bad as it sounds
    Leave it to the practical Swedes to come up with a logical and tidy way to deal with death. Known as “dödstadning” (death cleaning), the practice involves taking a realistic look at personal inventory and possessions accumulated over the years and instead of waiting until you die to have your loved ones deal with it, the goal is to start giving away things you no longer love — now. Swedish author Margareta Magnusson even wrote a book about it to help you get started (in English): www.amazon.com/Gentle-Art-Swedish-Death-Cleaning/dp/1501173243

  • 5-Tired of carrying a wallet? There’s a chip for that: 3,000 Swedes have said goodbye to the hassle of carrying a wallet and paying for their daily train tickets and hello to being implanted with a microchip. Riders on the SJ railway no longer need to worry about proof of fare. All they have to do is have a train conductor scan their hands with a smartphone to prove they’ve paid. (source http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4876326/3-000-Swedish-commuters-using-microchips-travel-cards.html )

  • More commuters getting microchip
    Tired of carrying a wallet? There’s a chip for that: 3,000 Swedes have said goodbye to the hassle of carrying a wallet and paying for their daily train tickets and hello to having a microchip implanted in their hand. Riders on the SJ railway no longer need to worry about proof of fare — all they have to do is have a train conductor scan their hands with a smartphone to prove they’ve paid. (source http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4876326/3-000-Swedish-commuters-using-microchips-travel-cards.html )

  • 6- Pensioner stands up to protesters: When a group of neo-Nazi’s took to the streets of Gothenburg, one Swedish woman wasn’t having it. Saying she’d “run them down” with her motorized trolley, this tough pensioner refused to sit quietly as waves of alt-right sympathizers marched through the streets. To their credit, they politely moved aside so the senior could pass through on her way to buy groceries. (source https://www.rt.com/news/405583-granny-unimpressed-neonazi-protesters/ )

  • Pensioner stands up to protesters
    When a group of neo-Nazis took to the streets of Gothenburg, one Swedish woman wasn’t having it. Saying she’d “run them down” with her motorized wheelchair, this tough pensioner refused to sit quietly as waves of alt-right sympathizers marched through the streets. To their credit, they politely moved aside so the senior could pass through on her way to buy groceries.

  • 7-Nuclear pigs on the rise in Sweden: When the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine exploded in 1986, Northern and Central Sweden received fallout that had blown its way and settled into the soil. Thirty years after the disaster, wild boars are being tested and identified for nuclear contamination. Out of 30 pigs tested recently, 24 contained high levels of radiation, suspected to be caused by the eating of wild mushrooms and berries. While hunting for wild boar is legal in Sweden, public fears about radiation poisoning may deter many, causing the numbers of nuclear pigs to continue to increase. (source https://qz.com/1099248/radioactive-wild-boars-in-sweden-are-eating-nuclear-mushrooms/ )

  • Nuclear pigs on the rise
    When the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine exploded in 1986, northern and central Sweden received fallout that blew in and settled into the soil. Thirty years after the disaster, wild boars are being tested and identified for nuclear contamination. Out of 30 pigs tested recently, 24 contained high levels of radiation, suspected to be caused by rooting for wild mushrooms and berries in the soil, where iodine and cesium-137 traces remain long after they’re gone above ground. While hunting for wild boar is legal in Sweden, public fears about radiation poisoning may deter many, causing the numbers of nuclear pigs to continue to increase.

  • P 8- Minecraft saves Elfdalian: Once on the brink of dying out and being lost forever, the ancient Viking language of Elfdalian is seeing a surge of support for its resurrection by Minecraft enthusiasts. Minecraft, a popular video building game, has become very popular with players of all ages. Using Minecraft with the Elfdalian language is an attempt to get more users interested in preserving and learning this ancient Swedish language. (source https://news-h24.com/how-swedens-ancient-language-elfdalian-is-being-saved-by-minecraft/ )

  • Minecraft saves Elfdalian
    Once on the brink of dying out and being lost forever, the ancient Viking language of Elfdalian ("Älvdalska"), still spoken in Älvdalen in central Sweden, is seeing a surge of support for its resurrection by Minecraft enthusiasts. Minecraft, the video building game created by Swedish programmer Markus Persson, has become hugely popular with players of all ages. Using Minecraft with the Elfdalian language is an attempt to get more users interested in preserving and learning this ancient Swedish language.

  • 9- Lack of skilled workers threatens Sweden’s economic boom. With Sweden’s economy, one of the strongest in the world, concern is rising about whether there are enough skilled workers to supply the demand. Currently, 12 of the 15 sectors in Sweden are seeing shortages and unfilled job vacancies have increased 41% in the last two years. (source https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-10/economic-boom-in-sweden-faces-familiar-foe )

  • More skilled workers needed
    While Sweden’s economy is one of the strongest in the world, concern is rising about whether there are enough skilled workers to supply the demand. Currently, 12 of the 15 sectors in Sweden are seeing shortages and unfilled job vacancies have increased 41 percent in the last two years.

  • Tech shortage grows
    By 2040, every fourth person in Sweden will be 65 or older. That means the growing shortage of IT and tech talent isn’t decreasing any time soon. While an aging population can be cited as one reason for the decline of skilled tech workers, another reason many are finally facing is the challenge in attracting foreign-born talent to Sweden. As fewer Swedes study IT, the need to look outside the country for talent is clear, yet the process of hiring and employing foreign-born workers is complex.

  • 10- Farming goes hi-tech: The agriculture industry has been set for disruption for some time but one Swedish company is making moves to help farmers find ways that work better for them. BMP Innovation has created ways for farmers to tap into real-time technology to monitor their livestock and crop conditions and create processes that help streamline and control the often unpredictable industry.(source http://www.bmpinnovation.se/ )

  • Farming goes hi-tech
    The agriculture industry has been fluctuating for some time but one Swedish company is making moves to help farmers find ways that work better for them. BMP Innovation helps farmers tap into real-time technology to monitor their livestock and crop conditions and create processes that help streamline and control the often unpredictable industry.

  • 11- Brexit brings a surge in Swedish passports: With the looming uncertainty of life in the UK post-Brexit, many are applying for passports outside of the UK. Sweden, one of the most sought-after passports to have, has seen an increase in applications from 969 to 2,002. With the right to travel freely between European countries something UK passports can no longer count on, the power of having a Swedish passport is rising as a way to deal with post-Brexit stress. (source http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/brexit-latest-uk-eu-live-abroad-countries-applications-citizenship-rise-increase-a7974006.html )

  • Brexit brings Brits to Sweden
    With the looming uncertainty of life post-Brexit, many Britons are applying for passports outside the UK. Since they can no longer count on the right to travel freely between European countries, the power of having a Swedish passport is appealing. Sweden, one of the most sought-after passports to have, has seen the applications more than double in number, from 969 to 2,002 in the last year.

  • 12- Volvo receives massage order for electric buses: Trondheim, Norway, a leader in alternative sources of sustainable transportation, has placed an order for 25 electric buses from Volvo. Already on the roads in Luxemburg and areas of the UK, 3,600 electrified buses have been rolled out by Volvo so far, with every expectation that demand for electric buses and public transportation will continue to grow. (source https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/volvo-receives-largest-ever-order-fully-electric-buses-eric-de-roy/ )

  • Massive order for Volvo
    Trondheim, Norway, a leader in alternative sources of sustainable transportation, has placed an order for 25 electric buses from Volvo. Already on the roads in Luxemburg and areas of the UK, 3,600 electric buses have been rolled out by Volvo, with every expectation that demand for electric buses and public transportation will continue to grow.

  • 13- Tech shortage grows: By 2040, every fourth person in Sweden will be 65 or older. That means that the growing shortage of IT and tech talent isn’t decreasing any time soon. While an aging population can be cited as one reason for the decline of skilled tech workers, another reason many are finally facing is the challenge in attracting foreign-born talent to Sweden. As fewer Swedes study IT, the need to look outside the country for talent is clear yet the process of hiring and employing foreign-born workers is complex that Swedish companies can’t see past all the red tape. (source https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sweden-finland-denmark-facing-mass-tech-talent-shortage-kokina/ )

  • Tech shortage grows
    By 2040, every fourth person in Sweden will be 65 or older. That means the growing shortage of IT and tech talent isn’t decreasing any time soon. While an aging population can be cited as one reason for the decline of skilled tech workers, another reason many are finally facing is the challenge in attracting foreign-born talent to Sweden. As fewer Swedes study IT, the need to look outside the country for talent is clear, yet the process of hiring and employing foreign-born workers is complex.

  • 14- GE opens its first European 3D health center: Uppsala is home to the “Innovative Design and Advanced Manufacturing Center” that GE has created. They will work with researchers and design teams to use 3D printing to streamline the supply chain process. As the focus on refining supply chains increases, 3D printing is set to increase product manufacturing and disrupt the traditional design process. This attempt by GE is one of many the company has taken to improve business functions and better serve their customers and markets. (source https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ge-healthcare-opens-its-first-european-3d-printing-lotta-ljungqvist/ )

  • GE opens European 3D health center
    Uppsala is home to the “Innovative Design and Advanced Manufacturing Center” that GE has created. They work with researchers and design teams to use 3D printing to streamline the supply chain process. As the focus on refining supply chains increases, 3D printing is set to increase product manufacturing and disrupt the traditional design process. This is one of many attempts the company has taken to improve business functions and better serve their customers and markets.

  • 15- Indonesia seeks partnership with Sweden: Research, higher education, and technology, are the top concerns the Indonesian government has requested help with. In a memorandum of understanding, Sweden has stepped in and agreed to help the country apply the Swedish Model of government, the private sector, and university partnership to Indonesia. If all goes well, Swedish professors may also travel to Indonesia to cooperate with their counterparts and increase access to understanding and education. (source http://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesia-seeks-improve-higher-education-partnership-sweden/ )

  • Indonesia seeks partnership
    Research, higher education and technology are the top concerns the Indonesian government has requested help with. In a memorandum of understanding, Sweden has stepped in and agreed to help the country apply the Swedish Model of government, the private sector, and university partnership to Indonesia. If all goes well, Swedish professors may also travel to Indonesia to cooperate with their counterparts and increase access to understanding and education.


  • NOTE: 16-25 will be posted 12 Oct 2017.

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